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Just when you think you know a person they reveal something shocking.  But don’t worry, readers, I’ve held my ground with some tough characters — you  may recall my interview with True Crime Writer Niamh “Bugsy” O’Connor— I was not about to shrink away from this one…

Oh, he was cunning at first, fast on his feet…Take a look!

Kristi: Welcome to How Did You Get There, I understand you work with the Dallas Symphony?

John Trimble:            Why, yes, Kristi. I’m a data analyst, prospect researcher and IT liaison for the Dallas Symphony’s Development Department.

Kristi: A Development Department for liaising with “It”? “It” must be important. Can you elaborate?

John Trimble: Development is a polite word for Fundraising that’s obsessed with saying ‘Thank you’.

Kristi: You’re welcome.

John Trimble: For what?

Kristi: You just said Thank you.

John Trimble: I did? Sorry, habit.

Kristi: What would an ordinary day be for you.

John Trimble: My days consist principally of setting up the business practices and software so we can track fundraising efforts. Then I find out more from outside sources so I can report things like, So-n-So gave a million $$ to the Opera, but only $5 to the Symphony, and his carriage will be passing through Sherwood Forest in a fortnight.

Kristi: Oh! I know a Free-Lancer if you need help with that.

John Trimble: Thanks, but we’ve got it covered.

Kristi: You’re welcome.

John Trimble: For what?

Kristi: You just said—never mind. How long have you done this?

John Trimble: IT consulting 9 years, Dallas Symphony almost 3 years, Teaching Argentine Tango 11 years.

Kristi: Argentine Tango? Is that the “It” you’ve been referring to?!

John Trimble: Um…

Kristi: You mean YOU’RE the TANGO BANDIT!

John Trimble: The what?

Kristi: Not “What” Señor — “It”  Short for BAND-IT! (locks John’s eyes with dramatic stare)

John Trimble: I’ve never even heard of the Tango Bandit.

Kristi: It’s in all the papers.

John Trimble: I haven’t read it.

Kristi: Well…you will, after I tell them.

John Trimble: Wha—why would you do that?

Kristi: (nose-to-nose) I don’t make the rules, Señor, only enforce them. I will stick to you like glue– I’m your worst nightmare!

John Trimble:  (backing off) I’m starting to see that.

Kristi: So how did you become this Tango Bandit?

John Trimble: Gosh…I can’t remember…I never knew I was one until now…

Kristi: Leave it to me to uncover the hot scoop! (does Happy dance)

John Trimble: … I have had some rather unusual jobs…

Kristi: Start from the beginning, I’ll get to the bottom of this.

John Trimble: You will? I’d appreciate that.

Kristi: There has to be a reason for this Bandit behavior, perhaps a deep-seated psychological illness—especially since you don’t remember any of it.

John Trimble: (looks pale)

Kristi: You look like a decent guy. I won’t let ‘em take you to jail. We’ll shoot for the nut house.

John Trimble: (takes a seat) Well, I got my first job when I was 14 years old, on the opening day of the second ever Taco Bell in Texas. I paid for my high school band trip. We marched in Richard Nixon’s 2nd inauguration parade.

Kristi: Hard working kid. I didn’t know Taco Bell hired that young?

John Trimble: (face falls) I lied. I told them I was 16.

Kristi: Lying and Nixon worship…that’s where it starts…

John Trimble: (wipes sweat from brow) It wasn’t like that! Besides, the owner/manager who hired me eventually sold the chain for millions of dollars, due almost entirely to the hard work of his early hire minimum wage employees, who received none of his eventual profits.  How well I recall his nightly phone calls to find out how much money we’d made for him on any given day!

Kristi: Robin Hood had a beef with that same thing, as I recall… was he one of your idols, John!? You did mention Sherwood Forest!!

John Trimble: (calculates how many traveling dance steps to nearest exit) Did I?

Kristi: Continue…

John Trimble: Oh – here’s a good one. I worked as a birthday party Clown, when I was younger. That’s where I learned to dress for success.   (ba-DUM-bum, jazz hands)

Kristi: You think this is funny, Clown? Just keep joking. I’m trying to help you here!

John Trimble: I know, thanks.

Kristi: You’re welcome.

John Trimble: For what?

Kristi: (dead stare)

John Trimble: Ok, let’s see…I worked in drug stores, too, during school. I learned the chemical names of common over the counter drugs, which saved me tons of money in brand name mark ups over the years.

Kristi: Drugs, too? Not helping, John. Work with me!

John Trimble: I worked a couple of summers as an oil field roughneck during college.

Kristi: Good! Honest, hard working stiff. What came of it?

John Trimble:  I learned to cuss– which allows me to entertain my clients while I repair their computers. I think it may have a beneficial effect on the computers, too.

Kristi: Hmmm, might be able to use that as a defense, since it applies to your DAY job…we’ll see. Keep going.

John Trimble: I was a VISTA volunteer after college where I learned I’m not the only one who struggles. Then I was an attorney’s assistant, which put me off the plans I’d held to attend law school.

Kristi: Good, good…

John Trimble: Then I made furniture for many years (and enjoyed it for the first few) but more than that I took advantage of the “freedom” of owning a business which allowed me to try my hand at things like drumming and journalism.

Kristi: Drumming and furniture making sound good, but journalism…that’s iffy, we might leave that one out.

John Trimble: I had a creative job at a Children’s Museum where I learned a lot, had health insurance and enjoyed a lot of collegiality with colleagues and schedule flexibility—

Kristi: Excellent!

John Trimble: –but it was taken over by a more enterprising operation that killed everything we all loved about the dear old place.

Kristi: Darn. That must’ve fueled your pesky resentment build-up.

John Trimble: Then I helped set up an endowments department at a university before ending up here at the Symphony combining IT, data analysis and prospect research.

Kristi: Which is where you’ll have your final curtain call, Señor Tango Bandito…I hope you’ve learned something from this.

John Trimble: The experiences I value most haven’t been job related–though I certainly value the experience of having a roof over my head and money to pay the bills, and have enjoyed some aspect of almost every job I’ve ever held.  I’m sure the dumpster behind my life is full of other people’s treasures.

Kristi: That’s what I’m worried about!

John Trimble: What I mean is– things that looked like mistakes to me might appear as successes to people who have trouble taking risks.

Kristi: Would you stop mentioning your risky lifestyle?  And as always, Señor — Thank You for Playing!!